Social Studies (Still) on the Back Burner: Perceptions and Practices of K-5 Social Studies Instruction

Abstract

In 1995, Neil Houser concluded that social studies in Delaware was “on the back burner.” Some ten years later, the same can be said concerning social studies in South Carolina. With a continued emphasis being placed on the more “pressing” fields such as math and language arts, coupled with the inclusion of social studies on South Carolina’s statewide standardized ability test, the fate of social studies in South Carolina is at the proverbial crossroads. This research builds upon Houser’s original work by quantitatively and qualitatively examining the perceptions and practices that influence social studies design and delivery in South Carolina’s elementary classrooms.